Flat-panel display device using optical waveguide

Abstract

A flat-panel display device using an optical waveguide includes a light source for emitting light, a plurality of optical waveguides into which light emitted from the light source is incident, an optical waveguide arrangement substrate on which the plurality of optical waveguides are arranges and made of a material having a low refractive index so as to totally reflect the light transmitted through the plurality of optical waveguides, a light output controller positioned on the plurality of optical waveguides and made of a material whose refractive index changes according to an electric field, a light output portion positioned on the light output controller, for refracting the light having passed through the light output controller when the light propagated through the plurality of optical waveguides due to the electric field is transmitted through the light output controller and is output therefrom, and outputting the same to the outside, a first electrode positioned on the light output portion, made of a transparent conductive material, and to which a predetermined control voltage is applied, a second electrode positioned under the light output controller, made of a conductive material, and which forms an electric field in conjunction with the first electrode, and a driver for applying the predetermined control voltage to the first and second electrodes. Therefore, the resolution of a reproduced image can be greatly enhanced, the light efficiency is very high and the viewing angle is increased.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A flat-panel display device using an optical waveguide comprising: 
       a light source for emitting light;  
       a plurality of optical waveguides into which light emitted from the light source is incident;  
       an optical waveguide arrangement substrate on which the plurality of optical waveguides are arranges and made of a material having a low refractive index so as to totally reflect the light transmitted through the plurality of optical waveguides;  
       a light output controller positioned on the plurality of optical waveguides and made of a material whose refractive index changes according to an electric field;  
       a light output portion positioned on the light output controller, for refracting the light having passed through the light output controller when the light propagated through the plurality of optical waveguides due to the electric field is transmitted through the light output controller and is output therefrom, and outputting the same to the outside;  
       a first electrode positioned on the light output portion, made of a transparent conductive material, and to which a predetermined control voltage is applied; a second electrode positioned under the light output controller, made of a conductive material, and which forms an electric field in conjunction with the first electrode; and a driver for applying the predetermined control voltage to the first and second electrodes;  
       wherein the light output portion is formed of a plurality of cladding-free cylindrical optical fibers.  
     
     
       2. The flat-panel display device according to claim  1 , wherein the first electrode is positioned under the optical waveguide arrangement substrate. 
     
     
       3. A flat-panel display device using an optical waveguide comprising: 
       a light source for emitting light;  
       a plurality of optical waveguides into which light emitted from the light source is incident;  
       an optical waveguide arrangement substrate on which the plurality of optical waveguides are arranges and made of a material having a low refractive index so as to totally reflect the light transmitted through the plurality of optical waveguides;  
       a light output controller positioned on the plurality of optical waveguides and made of a material whose refractive index changes according to an electric field;  
       a light output portion positioned on the light output controller, for refracting the light having passed through the light output controller when the light propagated through the plurality of optical waveguides due to the electric field is transmitted through the light output controller and is output therefrom, and outputting the same to the outside;  
       a first electrode positioned on the light output portion, made of a transparent conductive material, and to which a predetermined control voltage is applied; a second electrode positioned under the light output controller, made of a conductive material, and which forms an electric field in conjunction with the first electrode; and  
       a driver for applying the predetermined control voltage to the first and second electrodes,  
       wherein the plurality of optical waveguides are cladding-free rectangular-section optical fibers.  
     
     
       4. The flat-panel display device according to claim  1 , wherein the light output controller is a liquid crystal layer. 
     
     
       5. The flat-panel display device according to claim  1 , further comprising a transparent protective plate on which the first electrode is formed, wherein the protective plate is adhered to the light output portion by an optical adhesive. 
     
     
       6. A flat-panel display device using an optical waveguide comprising: 
       a light source for emitting light;  
       a plurality of optical waveguides into which light emitted from the light source is incident;  
       an optical waveguide arrangement substrate on which the plurality of optical waveguides are arranges and made of a material having a low refractive index so as to totally reflect the light transmitted through the plurality of optical waveguides;  
       a light output controller positioned on the plurality of optical waveguides and made of a material whose refractive index changes according to an electric field;  
       a light output portion positioned on the light output controller, for refracting the light having passed through the light output controller when the light propagated through the plurality of optical waveguides due to the electric field is transmitted through the light output controller and is output therefrom, and outputting the same to the outside;  
       a first electrode positioned on the light output portion, made of a transparent conductive material, and to which a predetermined control voltage is applied;  
       a second electrode positioned under the light output controller, made of a conductive material, and which forms an electric field in conjunction with the first electrode; and  
       a driver for applying the predetermined control voltage to the first and second electrodes,  
       wherein the light source is a light source for emitting light of three primary colors for displaying colors, and each of the plurality of optical waveguides further includes three optical waveguides for propagating the light of three primary colors emitted from the light source.  
     
     
       7. A flat-panel display device using an optical waveguide comprising: 
       a light source for emitting light;  
       a plurality of optical waveguides into which light emitted from the light source is incident;  
       an optical waveguide arrangement substrate on which the plurality of optical waveguides are arranges and made of a material having a low refractive index so as to totally reflect the light transmitted through the plurality of optical waveguides;  
       a light output controller positioned on the plurality of optical waveguides and made of a material whose refractive index changes according to an electric field;  
       a light output portion positioned on the light output controller, for refracting the light having passed through the light output controller when the light propagated through the plurality of optical waveguides due to the electric field is transmitted through the light output controller and is output therefrom, and outputting the same to the outside;  
       a first electrode positioned on the light output portion, made of a transparent conductive material, and to which a predetermined control voltage is applied; a second electrode positioned under the light output controller, made of a conductive material, and which forms an electric field in conjunction with the first electrode; and  
       a driver for applying the predetermined control voltage to the first and second electrodes,  
       wherein the light source is a white light source for displaying colors, each of the plurality of optical waveguides further includes three optical waveguides, and colors filters for three primary colors are provided in front of the three optical waveguides to propagate the light emitted from the white light source into light of three primary colors.  
     
     
       8. A flat-panel display device using an optical waveguide comprising: 
       a light source for emitting light;  
       a plurality of optical waveguides into which light emitted from the light source is incident;  
       an optical waveguide arrangement substrate on which the plurality of optical waveguides are arranges and made of a material having a low refractive index so as to totally reflect the light transmitted through the plurality of optical waveguides;  
       a light output controller positioned on the plurality of optical waveguides and made of a material whose refractive index changes according to an electric field;  
       a light output portion positioned on the light output controller, for refracting the light having passed through the light output controller when the light propagated through the plurality of optical waveguides due to the electric field is transmitted through the light output controller and is output therefrom, and outputting the same to the outside;  
       a first electrode positioned on the light output portion, made of a transparent conductive material, and to which a predetermined control voltage is applied;  
       a second electrode positioned under the light output controller, made of a conductive material, and which forms an electric field in conjunction with the first electrode; and  
       a driver for applying the predetermined control voltage to the first and second electrodes,  
       wherein a gray scale control device for controlling the brightness of the light output from the light source is further provided between the light source and the plurality of optical waveguides, and the brightness of the light output from the gray scale control device is controlled in accordance with a light brightness control signal output from the driver.  
     
     
       9. A flat-panel display device using an optical waveguide comprising: 
       a light source for emitting light;  
       a plurality of optical waveguides into which light emitted from the light source is incident;  
       an optical waveguide arrangement substrate on which the plurality of optical waveguides are arranges and made of a material having a low refractive index so as to totally reflect the light transmitted through the plurality of optical waveguides;  
       a light output controller positioned on the plurality of optical waveguides and made of a material whose refractive index changes according to an electric field;  
       a light output portion positioned on the light output controller, for refracting the light having passed through the light output controller when the light propagated through the plurality of optical waveguides due to the electric field is transmitted through the light output controller and is output therefrom, and outputting the same to the outside;  
       a first electrode positioned on the light output portion, made of a transparent conductive material, and to which a predetermined control voltage is applied;  
       a second electrode positioned under the light output controller, made of a conductive material, and which forms an electric field in conjunction with the first electrode; and  
       a driver for applying the predetermined control voltage to the first and second electrodes,  
       wherein the gray scale control device comprises a plurality of gray scale control units having a predetermined number of gray scale controllers formed in series, each gray scale controller comprising:  
       an optical waveguide into which the light emitted from the light source is incident;  
       an optical waveguide arrangement substrate on which the optical waveguide is arranged and made of a material having a low refractive index so as to totally reflect the light transmitted through the optical waveguide;  
       a light transmission controller positioned between the optical waveguide and the optical waveguide arrangement substrate and made of a material whose refractive index changes according to an electric field;  
       a light absorption layer positioned under the light transmissions controller, for absorbing the light transmitted to the light transmission controller when the light propagated through the optical waveguide is transmitted to the light transmission controller due to the electric field;  
       third and fourth electrodes positioned on the optical waveguide, made of a conductive material and to which the light brightness control signal is applied from the driver;  
       a fifth electrode positioned between the light absorption layer and the optical fiber arrangement substrate and made of a transparent material which produces electric fields in conjunction with the third and fourth electrodes, respectively; and  
       a protective plate positioned on the optical waveguide and the third and fourth electrodes, for totally reflecting the light propagated through the optical waveguide.  
     
     
       10. The flat-panel display device according to claim  9 , wherein the areas of the light transmission controllers of the plurality of gray scale controllers are made to be different from one another in order to delicately control the brightness of the light output from the gray scale control device.